ECCO golf shoes extends endorsement agreement with Fred Couples

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Danish brand ECCO - a leading global manufacturer of innovative footwear - announces the extension of its endorsement agreement with Tour legend Fred Couples, who will continue to compete in the award-winning BIOM Hybrid collection and showcase the company's logo on his headwear.

Couples, a 2013 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame who was recently named "The Coolest Golfer of All Time" by Golf Digest, will continue to be featured in ECCO marketing initiatives. He currently ranks third in Charles Schwab Cup Points on the Champions Tour, having recorded six top-10s in his first seven tournaments of the year.

"Before ECCO, I was always a very traditional shoe guy, but now really all I put on are the Golf Street and BIOM Hybrid styles," says Couples. "They've both got a great look, are so comfortable and provide the traction and stability I need when competing. Plus, I love that I can wear them all the way from my house to the golf course and back. I'm looking forward to playing many more years in my ECCOs."

One of the most popular golfers to ever pick up a club, Couples has captured 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1992 Masters. His other notable achievements include winning the 1984 and 1996 PLAYERS Championships, twice earning PGA Tour Player of the Year and Vardon Trophy honors in the same season ('91, '92), and becoming the first American to reach No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings (six years after the system debuted).

Since joining the Champions Tour in 2011, Couples has won eight titles, highlighted by the 2012 Senior Open Championship and 2011 Senior Players Championship.

"Fred's been an amazing ambassador and for eight years has played a huge role in strengthening our position among the world's most admired footwear brands," says Jesper Thuen, ECCO Global Sponsorship and PR Manager - Golf. "In 2010, his choice to wear Golf Street at the Masters sparked the hybrid revolution that has forever altered the global footwear market."

About ECCO
ECCO, a world leading brand of shoes combining style and comfort, has built its success on quality and innovative technology. The design philosophy is rooted in the founder's approach to being a shoemaker - the shoe must follow the foot. The shoes of ECCO are anchored in functionality, quality and craftsmanship on the platform of Scandinavian design. Founded in 1963, ECCO is one of the few major shoe manufacturers in the world to own and manage every step of the shoemaking process. Today, ECCO products are sold in 91 countries at 1,100 ECCO stores and 14,000 other sales locations. The company is family-owned and the workplace to 19,500 employees from over 50 countries. In 2012, revenue increased by 14% to DKK 8 billion with profits before tax of DKK 1.1 billion.

ECCO USA is based in Londonderry, New Hampshire. For more information: www.eccousa.com, 800.886.3226.

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